It is generally known to provide for a system for determining when to replace a battery of a vehicle. According to such known systems, a determination is made to replace the battery at a pre-selected time such as five years after installation of the battery. According to such known systems, a determination is also made to replace the battery when the perceived time required for the battery to crank the engine (cranking time) is longer than expected. However, such known systems have several disadvantages including that the battery may require replacement before such pre-selected time, and any perceived increase in the cranking time may be due to other factors unrelated to the battery (such as a faulty starter).
It is also generally known to provide for a system for determining when to replace a battery of a vehicle based on the voltage of the battery. According to such known systems, a determination is made to replace the battery when the voltage of the battery falls below a pre-selected value. However, such known systems have several disadvantages, including that they do not record the “history” of the battery during its use as would allow for a more accurate prediction of the capacity of the battery, notwithstanding the measured voltage.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a battery monitoring system for predicting whether the battery will perform in certain applications as expected in the future. It would also be advantageous to provide a system for determining when a battery for a vehicle should be replaced which accounts for the history of the battery during its use. It would be desirable to provide for a battery monitoring system having one or more of these or other advantageous features.